In India it will take 50 years...In India, the politicians will never allow it to happen...In India, nobody has traffic sense...Compared to US, in India...Compared to China, in India...I sometimes shudder to think, why India is one of the most closely scrutinised objects amongst the non resident Indians. We teach our children not to get into the comparison game, because each one is endowed with unique traits and characteristics. As humans, while we sometimes start to compare, we tend to conclude looking at our positives and give ourselves the benefit of doubt. Yet, when it comes to India, we are "critically" critical.
I noticed this while living in China as a non resident Indian. Add to this is the fact that India and China are supposedly fighting a race to gain supremacy in all spheres. But I believe this is not to do with China alone. Looking at some of the comments on sites like facebook, and discussions amongst people who live outside India across the world, it looks to me that a significant part of the conversation is around what is lacking in India. Or atleast that is what gets expressed and probably the goodness is never talked about. Or is it a way of laughing at ourselves? I do not think so, seeing the passion with which conversations are debated against the inadequecies of India. Solutions are freely shared in the form of transferring the good practices of say US or China to India. Simple!
I do not for a minute think that these people are not patriotic. It is probably a mindset which starts developing when one sees India from a outside in view. A case of "one size fits all" syndrome. This is quite a prejudiced way of looking at a heterogenous and growing country like India. Similar to the way we evaluate our children and ourselves, we need to accept the fact that India is in the midst of transformation and all the chaos may not be bad. This does not approve of the India as it exists. Of course we need to develop faster, making it more prosperous. We do want India to evolve into a nation where poverty does not exist, no child is illiterate and people do not die due to lack of healthcare. However achieving this will be a process and will not happen overnight. We need to realise that we have chosen to follow a democracy where each section's voice needs to be heard. The unfortunate part of the situation is that most of people are contend to giving views and solutions without really attempting to make a difference. While a revolution is not practical for most of the population, small efforts could possibly add up to the bigger picture of change.
However the current state means that we will continue to develop but there will be no quick fixes. We need to allow for the diversity in opinion which many a time will create hurdles in the path of development. One of the other oft repeated views from people I meet, is to follow a system like China where decisions are taken and implemented by a group of people. And this they say is the only way to govern a nation of 1 billion people. Without getting into the pros and cons of a communist (read dictatorship) form of government, I feel this is an easy statement to make because, firstly we have not lived under a dictatorship, secondly we discount the China of pre-1978 which was poorer than India and thirdly in hindsight the experiment in China has been successful. It need not be a remedy for India. Dr Manmohan Singh had this to say in his interview with Fareed Zakaria on his show "Fareed Zakaria GPS" telecast on November 22, 2009 prior to his visit to Washington - "...they are struck by the energy with which the Chinese are both building infrastructure, the ease with which you can set up businesses. And they wish that they could see a similar process in India. Well, I have no hesitation in saying that I think development in India cannot be a carbon copy of what happens in China. And the Chinese system is very different. We are a functioning democracy. And even if you want to acquire land, I think you run into serious problems, and there's for -- of operating a democracy. And democracy is slow-moving." This statement from a person whom people across the spectrum respect and admire, hits the issue at its roots. On the other hand, it will be unfair to compare US or Europe to India. While India will continue to progress, it will not be a painless progress.
So does that mean one needs to accept the status quo and be part of the frequently said phrase..."We are like this only"? Perhaps yes, but without the cynicsm. An understanding of the current reality of India, be proud of the achievements until now and the difficult path into the future. This is not a reasoning for the state of things, but a reality check wherein more efforts need to be put to perform in the model of governance we have chosen. While we need to benchmark ourselves against the best, not having a carbon copy should not be deemed as failure.
Till then, I have to agree with what the noted historian and scholar Ramachandra Guha said "It is only the non resident Indians who want India to be a super power"..."not the residents themselves..." Such is the weight of a comparison!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
THE GOD
The world was truly blessed with what they saw yesterday. Around 40 years of ODIs and 2500 plus matches...Alas we had the first man on planet earth reaching the almost inaccessible milestone of 200 runs in One day cricket!
On my visit to Australia in 2003, a taxi driver chirply remarked, in India you have four gods - Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma...and I waited for what the fourth will be...Tendulkar! I could not have agreed with him more. I would have mentioned this to people many times. One of the reasons why India is united is because of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. His innings yesterday effectively ended the debate of whether Ricky Ponting is better than him. 47 test centuries, 46 ODI centuries, and over 20 years of International cricket. Amazing...
Honestly in the last few years, while I knew Sachin will go on to score many more runs and centuries, I never imagined him being the guy to get to the 200 barrier. But god lives by his rules! Yesterday's innings was a master piece that by the time he reached 180 or so, it looked like that the entire universe is conspiring to help him get to the figure. The world talks about Roger Federer being the perfect role model and champion. If there is one person who probably is on the same pedestal if not higher is Sachin. And remember Sachin is more closely scrutinised and followed than Roger ever was or will be.
The first time I heard about Tendulkar was when I was in the 5th or 6th standard. He was touted as the prodigy from Shivaji Park. Since then he has given to the masses much more than what movies or any other form of entertainment would have. Such is his class..."Poetry in motion"
We would probably see another few years of his amazing drives and cuts, before he hangs up his boots. How cricket will be, when he leaves the scene is something nobody would want to think of. I found this in one of the blogs today - "Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting, they will go unnoticed, because even the Lord is watching!" prempanicker.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/the-unseen-stats-behind-sachins-record/
There have been many good players who have played this game. Some have been called "Greats" and some "legends". But for me Sachin Tendulkar is "THE GOD" himself.
On my visit to Australia in 2003, a taxi driver chirply remarked, in India you have four gods - Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma...and I waited for what the fourth will be...Tendulkar! I could not have agreed with him more. I would have mentioned this to people many times. One of the reasons why India is united is because of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. His innings yesterday effectively ended the debate of whether Ricky Ponting is better than him. 47 test centuries, 46 ODI centuries, and over 20 years of International cricket. Amazing...
Honestly in the last few years, while I knew Sachin will go on to score many more runs and centuries, I never imagined him being the guy to get to the 200 barrier. But god lives by his rules! Yesterday's innings was a master piece that by the time he reached 180 or so, it looked like that the entire universe is conspiring to help him get to the figure. The world talks about Roger Federer being the perfect role model and champion. If there is one person who probably is on the same pedestal if not higher is Sachin. And remember Sachin is more closely scrutinised and followed than Roger ever was or will be.
The first time I heard about Tendulkar was when I was in the 5th or 6th standard. He was touted as the prodigy from Shivaji Park. Since then he has given to the masses much more than what movies or any other form of entertainment would have. Such is his class..."Poetry in motion"
We would probably see another few years of his amazing drives and cuts, before he hangs up his boots. How cricket will be, when he leaves the scene is something nobody would want to think of. I found this in one of the blogs today - "Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting, they will go unnoticed, because even the Lord is watching!" prempanicker.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/the-unseen-stats-behind-sachins-record/
There have been many good players who have played this game. Some have been called "Greats" and some "legends". But for me Sachin Tendulkar is "THE GOD" himself.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Selamat Datang
"Selamat Datang" means "Welcome" in Malay. Indeed it was a welcome break and a trip to a beautiful country during the Chinese New year holidays last week. This was my first trip to Malaysia. Since the time I moved to Shanghai, I have used the Malaysian airlines umpteen times. So much so that I have stayed as a gold card member of the frequent flyer program of the airline called "Enrich" for the last two years or so. This meant transiting many a time through the airport at Kuala Lumpur. The closest I came to stepping foot in Malaysia, was when during one of my trips back to Shanghai, the flight from Mumbai got delayed. The connecting flight had already left and we went through emigration to be put up at the Pan Pacific which is a hotel attached to the KL airport. It was a short 10 hour stay, limited to the hotel room.
Malaysia too is a multi ethnic and multi religious country. Essentially a Muslim country, there are 3 distinct races. Malays who kind of rule the country constitute 54% of the population while Chinese are around 25% and Indians are approximately 8%. Then there are a few other races as well. The Chinese are predominantly well off and are into business while the Indian community was traditionally the labour class which came from Tamil Nadu. While "One Malaysia" is a cause political leaders want the nation to aspire for, I did get a feeling that there is some way to go. For one, being a Muslim country, when approximately 30% of the population is not, means that these communities are naturally excluded while trying to be inclusive! (hopefully readers will not view me as anti-Islamic. I believe that a theocratic state of any religion, drives exclusivism)
We took the China Eastern from Shanghai and travelled through the night to arrive at KL and further on to Langkawi by flight at around 11 am the following day. Amazingly refreshing, Langkawi consists of 99 islands. We stayed at the Rebak Island Resort which is a Taj Property on a private island. While I would recommend this to any one who may want to visit the place, it is a little on the expensive side. In fact during the Chinese new year holidays, most of the flights and locations in this part of the world becomes dearer. The Chinese are in fact travelling a lot more these days, and it points out to the prosperity they have achieved in the last 10 years or so. At the resort itself there were people from all the geographies. We did notice a few Indians at our resort. The only difference being that they all looked to be the honeymoon couples, with dreams of having an equally exciting life in the future! (sarcasm not intended) With Sharanya and Pavithra around it was an enjoyable stay at Langkawi. One of the new things we did, was Parasailing. Its quite a treat being alone in the sky with the sea beneath, as long as you think and feel that you are going to be safely back on land!
After a couple of days, we headed straight to Kuala Lumpur. We were quite impressed by the roads and cleanliness around. I have gone to over 20 countries including some in Africa and would rate roads in India as amongst the worst. The Petronas twin towers provided a very imposing view and I believe it was the tallest building in the world till 2004. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza which is quite close to the towers. The area itself has many shopping centers and multiple hotels including the Mariott, Ascott and Renaissance. The next day we visited the Batu caves, which is around 13 kilometers from the downtown. It houses arguably the tallest Murugan statue in the world. Housed atop 272 steps is the Sri Subramania Swamy temple. The area looked a like a mini Chennai with distinct Tamil experiences. After a quick visit, we headed to a shop at the base which sold Tamil DVDs. Buying new Tamil and Malayalam movie DVDs has become one of the most important tasks since we moved to Shanghai.
With Sharanya not too well during our KL stay, our movement was to an extent restricted. However on the final day we decided to take the "hoponhopff bus" which runs around KL and is valid for 24 hours. The price of a ticket is 38 Ringitt. While we used it only for around 4 hours, it gave us a quick snap shot into KL. We got a glimpse of Little China, Little India and the Merdeka square which is a symbol of Malaysian Independence. Our flight back was at 3.30 am which meant that we had to spend close to 7 hours at the KL airport. We had quite a few dosas in our trip including twice at the KL airport. The dinner that day on our travel back consisted of ghee dosas! Pavithra had a wholesome South Indian lunch when we visited the temple.
Malaysia is an amazing place to visit and I believe they put in a lot of efforts to make it a tourism friendly nation. "Truly Asia".
I think India has a phenomenal potential for tourism but we still need to get the small things right for it to blossom. Arrival into say 3 Asian cities (Shanghai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur) and taking a taxi out, and comparing it to the experience in say Mumbai will be a simple case to compare.
ps - view some of the tour photos at share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome
Malaysia too is a multi ethnic and multi religious country. Essentially a Muslim country, there are 3 distinct races. Malays who kind of rule the country constitute 54% of the population while Chinese are around 25% and Indians are approximately 8%. Then there are a few other races as well. The Chinese are predominantly well off and are into business while the Indian community was traditionally the labour class which came from Tamil Nadu. While "One Malaysia" is a cause political leaders want the nation to aspire for, I did get a feeling that there is some way to go. For one, being a Muslim country, when approximately 30% of the population is not, means that these communities are naturally excluded while trying to be inclusive! (hopefully readers will not view me as anti-Islamic. I believe that a theocratic state of any religion, drives exclusivism)
We took the China Eastern from Shanghai and travelled through the night to arrive at KL and further on to Langkawi by flight at around 11 am the following day. Amazingly refreshing, Langkawi consists of 99 islands. We stayed at the Rebak Island Resort which is a Taj Property on a private island. While I would recommend this to any one who may want to visit the place, it is a little on the expensive side. In fact during the Chinese new year holidays, most of the flights and locations in this part of the world becomes dearer. The Chinese are in fact travelling a lot more these days, and it points out to the prosperity they have achieved in the last 10 years or so. At the resort itself there were people from all the geographies. We did notice a few Indians at our resort. The only difference being that they all looked to be the honeymoon couples, with dreams of having an equally exciting life in the future! (sarcasm not intended) With Sharanya and Pavithra around it was an enjoyable stay at Langkawi. One of the new things we did, was Parasailing. Its quite a treat being alone in the sky with the sea beneath, as long as you think and feel that you are going to be safely back on land!
After a couple of days, we headed straight to Kuala Lumpur. We were quite impressed by the roads and cleanliness around. I have gone to over 20 countries including some in Africa and would rate roads in India as amongst the worst. The Petronas twin towers provided a very imposing view and I believe it was the tallest building in the world till 2004. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza which is quite close to the towers. The area itself has many shopping centers and multiple hotels including the Mariott, Ascott and Renaissance. The next day we visited the Batu caves, which is around 13 kilometers from the downtown. It houses arguably the tallest Murugan statue in the world. Housed atop 272 steps is the Sri Subramania Swamy temple. The area looked a like a mini Chennai with distinct Tamil experiences. After a quick visit, we headed to a shop at the base which sold Tamil DVDs. Buying new Tamil and Malayalam movie DVDs has become one of the most important tasks since we moved to Shanghai.
With Sharanya not too well during our KL stay, our movement was to an extent restricted. However on the final day we decided to take the "hoponhopff bus" which runs around KL and is valid for 24 hours. The price of a ticket is 38 Ringitt. While we used it only for around 4 hours, it gave us a quick snap shot into KL. We got a glimpse of Little China, Little India and the Merdeka square which is a symbol of Malaysian Independence. Our flight back was at 3.30 am which meant that we had to spend close to 7 hours at the KL airport. We had quite a few dosas in our trip including twice at the KL airport. The dinner that day on our travel back consisted of ghee dosas! Pavithra had a wholesome South Indian lunch when we visited the temple.
Malaysia is an amazing place to visit and I believe they put in a lot of efforts to make it a tourism friendly nation. "Truly Asia".
I think India has a phenomenal potential for tourism but we still need to get the small things right for it to blossom. Arrival into say 3 Asian cities (Shanghai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur) and taking a taxi out, and comparing it to the experience in say Mumbai will be a simple case to compare.
ps - view some of the tour photos at share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome
Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Game of Badminton...
In the last week, we had the Shanghai Indian Association badminton tournament. While me and Pavithra lost in the mixed doubles finals, my run also ended in the semi finals in men's doubles and in the quarters in singles. But thats not the real point I am trying to convey. This game is pretty universal, seemingly easy and fun for people to participate. Unlike say tennis, this requires lesser infrastructure and even novices can aspire to hit the bird with the charm of a champion.
However what I have noticed over the years is that probably more than many of the games, this game is highly tactical. After a certain level when you have mastered to hit the shuttle well, if you need to move into the next level, its imperative that you learn the tricks of the trade. Every form of this game, has to be played with different strategies. While fitness is a must, more important is how one utilises the area of the court and make the opponent play into your game. This also explains the fact that, over a period of time, I have seen some 50 plus year olds, playing amazing badminton. Literally eating novices like me for breakfast.
Last 2 years has been good living in our housing complex in Shanghai, with a game of badminton every weekend with many of the Indian families joining in. In the future, I would love to get some coaching and play with some of the better players, so that I have the required skill sets to play this game when I hit 50! (and win too!)
However what I have noticed over the years is that probably more than many of the games, this game is highly tactical. After a certain level when you have mastered to hit the shuttle well, if you need to move into the next level, its imperative that you learn the tricks of the trade. Every form of this game, has to be played with different strategies. While fitness is a must, more important is how one utilises the area of the court and make the opponent play into your game. This also explains the fact that, over a period of time, I have seen some 50 plus year olds, playing amazing badminton. Literally eating novices like me for breakfast.
Last 2 years has been good living in our housing complex in Shanghai, with a game of badminton every weekend with many of the Indian families joining in. In the future, I would love to get some coaching and play with some of the better players, so that I have the required skill sets to play this game when I hit 50! (and win too!)
Friday, February 5, 2010
Aamchi Mumbai...
Discussion on who Mumbai belongs to, is one of the hottest topics in Indian media today. Political parties have taken respective positions and are quite keen to prove that their position is the right one. All this for "the people" who they claim to represent.
I would not like to go into the correctness of various arguments. Nor will I seek to support a particular view point. For me, this is a very simple topic and the less we make it complicated the better it is. On August 15, 1947 when India won Independence and on January 26, 1950 when India became a Republic, we also decided that India is "one" country. While there may be geographical divisions for operational reasons, we are one and in that sense we sink and swim together. I am as proud of Mumbai as I am of Thiruvananthapuram, where I come from, as I am of Delhi which is "our" Capital.
If we were to think in this manner, the issue of Mumbai is a non-issue. Having said that there are regional issues of development and progress, which needs to be tackled in a more objective manner. What happened to dream of making Mumbai another Shanghai?
Personally for me, Thiruvananthapuram is a remarkable example of what India ought to be. I have grown up seeing my father work in the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, where people from different parts of India used to live a dream together. And after 25 odd years, many of them have still preferred to live on there, not because of the wealth they have created there (which is anyway not much) , but for the love of the place. And this is not possible if we did not believe in the concept of India.
I love Mumbai for all the simple things in life. And I hope I never run into someone, who will question me for loving Mumbai just because I was not born there or speak a different language. It will indeed be a sad argument to get into with a fellow Indian!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Into February...
Its already Feb and as always time seems to fly quickly. In a few months we would be heading back to India for good. Mumbai, it will be...
The Chinese new year is 2 weeks away. Its the biggest festival in China where everyone heads home. Given the population of China, and the fact that most of the people work away from home, its probably the only time in the year when most people re-join with their families. Meet their near and dear ones...This will be my third new year in China - the year of the Tiger.
Looking back, the China experience has been one of the most awesome experiences I could have had in life. A country which gives you a feel of this massive juggernaut rolling with things changing and happening everywhere. In many ways this is similar to India but in many more ways so different.
The CNY holidays would be in Malaysia for us. Looking forward to seeing the country a little bit.
It was a match which no Arsenal fan would have wanted to see. 2 goals down in the first half. I am not too big a fan of Arsenal, but quite like the way they have shaped up with young players who have come up the rank and a few others who are not really super stars. (unlike a team like Chelsea or Man U). But yesterday, it was Man U which demonstrated once again that the EPL title race was between them and Chelsea. Arsenal can be happy where they are!
The Chinese new year is 2 weeks away. Its the biggest festival in China where everyone heads home. Given the population of China, and the fact that most of the people work away from home, its probably the only time in the year when most people re-join with their families. Meet their near and dear ones...This will be my third new year in China - the year of the Tiger.
Looking back, the China experience has been one of the most awesome experiences I could have had in life. A country which gives you a feel of this massive juggernaut rolling with things changing and happening everywhere. In many ways this is similar to India but in many more ways so different.
The CNY holidays would be in Malaysia for us. Looking forward to seeing the country a little bit.
It was a match which no Arsenal fan would have wanted to see. 2 goals down in the first half. I am not too big a fan of Arsenal, but quite like the way they have shaped up with young players who have come up the rank and a few others who are not really super stars. (unlike a team like Chelsea or Man U). But yesterday, it was Man U which demonstrated once again that the EPL title race was between them and Chelsea. Arsenal can be happy where they are!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
truly amazing...
Being in China for the last 3 years, meant no access to blog sites including live journal. I had almost given up and hoped to resume blogging on LJ once I get out of China!
It was an accidental act of keying in the LJ website today and it logged me on. This is truly amazing. A feeling of freedom.
It has been a Super Sunday...Leander and Cara winning the Australian open mixed doubles, Roger "fedex"ing past Andy and the match later tonight between Arsenal and Man U. While I wished Andy would win, I almost knew it would be Roger's day today. This man has taken tennis to heights no one could ever imagine of. World sport is truly blessed to have people like Sachin, Roger, Messi et al (would include Tiger as well for the golfer he is) who give the spectators entertainment and joy day after day.
It was an accidental act of keying in the LJ website today and it logged me on. This is truly amazing. A feeling of freedom.
It has been a Super Sunday...Leander and Cara winning the Australian open mixed doubles, Roger "fedex"ing past Andy and the match later tonight between Arsenal and Man U. While I wished Andy would win, I almost knew it would be Roger's day today. This man has taken tennis to heights no one could ever imagine of. World sport is truly blessed to have people like Sachin, Roger, Messi et al (would include Tiger as well for the golfer he is) who give the spectators entertainment and joy day after day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)